The South London borough is consulting on plans to build housing and older people’s accommodation on its Green Belt land
Sutton Council has identified three Green Belt sites that could be built on as part of plans to meet the borough’s future housing needs. Sutton is home to 616 hectares of Green Belt land, but campaigners warn that releasing parts of it for development could have lasting environmental consequences.
The locations, identified in the council’s newly published Draft Local Plan, include 1-3 Metcalfe Avenue in Carshalton, Woodcote Grove House in Coulsdon and the Woodcote Green Garden Centre on Woodmansterne Lane. Together, the sites have been designated as “grey belt” land — a planning category introduced by the Labour government in December 2024 to free up lower-quality and previously developed Green Belt land for development.
The proposals form part of a wider strategy to accommodate Sutton’s growing housing and employment needs over the next 15 years. The council is currently facing an acute housing crisis, with over 1,000 people on the housing waiting list.
Following a review of protected land across the borough, council planners decided that releasing a small number of grey belt sites would help meet the borough’s requirement to deliver 738 net additional homes a year until 2041.
Under the Draft Local Plan, Metcalfe Avenue — a previously developed site currently used by the Queen Elizabeth Foundation’s Mobility Services — has been earmarked for an initial capacity of 30 new homes. Elsewhere, the council hopes to deliver 71 units of older people’s accommodation at the 2.22-hectare Woodcote Grove House site, and a further 39 units at the Woodcote Green Garden Centre site.
The council states that any major development on grey belt land would be subject to strict conditions, including a requirement for at least 50 per cent affordable housing, contributions towards infrastructure improvements and enhancements to existing green space. However, campaigners have warned against any erosion of Green Belt protections.
Helen John, a local Green Party activist and landscape architect, said Sutton residents had previously shown their opposition to building on the Green Belt through objections to earlier planning applications. She pointed to a recent application by land promoter Lansdown to build 103 homes at the Wallington Nurseries Green Belt site as an example.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “While developers claim the site qualifies as grey belt, meaning land considered lower value or previously developed, much of it remains open agricultural land and still plays a meaningful role in preventing urban sprawl and protecting the countryside.”
She added: “With regards to the Draft Local Plan, residents responded to the consultation two years ago arguing that Green Belt should not be built on since it is required to address the climate and nature crisis, providing homes for nature – the UK being one of the most nature-depleted areas in the world – and Green Belt being essential to providing food-growing areas as climate change will increase the amount of land the UK needs to feed itself.”
The publication of the sites marks the latest milestone in the long-running debate over the future of the borough’s Green Belt. Last July, the then Conservative opposition tabled a motion calling for stronger protections against potential government and mayoral planning reforms that could allow development on protected land.
However, the Liberal Democrat administration amended the motion, arguing that an outright ban on any Green Belt development could leave Sutton vulnerable to intervention from higher planning authorities. The revised motion, which was approved, committed the council to “robustly protect Sutton’s Green Belt” while complying with national and regional planning policy.
At the time, Lib Dem councillor Lisa Webster said the authority faced a balancing act between protecting open land and meeting housing need.
She told the chamber: “We do have a housing crisis, and this council has tried to meet the needs of our residents, over 1,000 of whom are on waiting lists for affordable homes.
“By intensifying development in Sutton town centre and on Beddington Lane, we are looking at all available brownfield sites.
“We do wish to protect the Green Belt, but we know it may be required of us to release some small portions of land for some small developments on the edge of our beautiful spaces.”
As well as identifying land for housing, the Draft Local Plan proposes releasing selected areas of Metropolitan Open Land for industrial development.
Land at Jessops Way and plots immediately west of Beddington Lane have been earmarked for industrial and storage uses to help meet demand for employment space across the borough. Council planners say the allocations are needed to deliver part of the 111,445 square metres of industrial floorspace required over the lifespan of the plan.
The Draft Local Plan will now be subject to a six-week public consultation between June and July, giving residents, businesses and other stakeholders an opportunity to comment on the proposals before they are submitted for independent examination.
Don’t miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.
